In vehicle consoles including a latching storage bin, typically a latching mechanism is provided to prevent inadvertent opening of the storage bin lid. Most commonly, the latching mechanism is disposed at a front center portion of the storage bin, for example with the latch disposed at a front center portion of the console storage bin lid and the striker disposed at a front center portion of the storage bin. It is also known to provide alternative latching mechanisms such as dual-pawl mechanisms having a pair of pawls disposed on a console storage bin lid and cooperating strikers disposed on the storage bin. Such dual pawl mechanisms provide a more desirable fit and finish, i.e. a tighter fit, to the console storage bin lid, improving customer acceptance.
However, dual pawl mechanisms typically require a greater packaging space than single, center-mounted pawl latching mechanisms in order to ensure proper striker engagement. For this reason, a portion of the dual pawl latching package must typically extend below a plane defined by the console lid in order to properly engage the storage bin-mounted strikers. This is illustrated in FIG. 1A, showing a vehicle center console 100 including a storage bin 102, a hinged lid 104, and a dual pawl mechanism 106 depending from an underside of the lid 104. As shown in FIG. 1B, the dual pawl mechanism 106 package extends below a plane P defined by an underside of the storage bin lid 104. While providing the desired engagement of pawl and striker, this creates an undesirable protrusion extending below the bin lid 104.
To solve this and other problems, the present disclosure relates at a high level to a storage bin and hinged lid for use in, e.g., a vehicle console. The described console storage bin and lid include a dual pawl latching mechanism. By the design of the hinged lid and cooperating storage bin, the dual pawl mechanism is substantially integrated into the lid, thus avoiding the undesirable protrusion described above.